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{{disambig header|the Forerunner term|articles of the same name|Reclaimer (disambiguation)}}
{{disambig header|the Forerunner term|articles of the same name|Reclaimer (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Reclaimer - H4.png|right|thumb|The [[Forerunner symbols|Forerunner glyph]] for "Reclaimer".]]
[[File:Reclaimer - H4.png|right|thumb|The [[Forerunner symbols|Forerunner glyph]] for "Reclaimer".]]
{{quote|The [[05-032 Mendicant Bias|Oracle]] calls them "Reclaimers". But what do they reclaim? These machines? These cities? These worlds? Or, as I fear, are they to reclaim the [[Mantle]] we so terribly squandered?|[[Minister of Discovery]]<ref name="Covie%2520Mantle">'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''' volume II, ''page 299''</ref>}}
{{quote|The [[05-032 Mendicant Bias|Oracle]] calls them "Reclaimers". But what do they reclaim? These machines? These cities? These worlds? Or, as I fear, are they to reclaim the [[Mantle]] we so terribly squandered?|[[Minister of Discovery]]<ref name="Covie Mantle">'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''' volume II, ''page 299''</ref>}}


"'''Reclaimer'''" is a [[Forerunner]] term used to refer to a species (or a member of said species) chosen to be the inheritors of the [[Mantle]], the stewardship over all life originally held by the [[Precursor]]s. Following the activation of the [[Halo Array]] and the ensuing [[Reintroduction]], this refers to [[human]]s, whom the Forerunners (more pointedly those allied with the [[Librarian]]) regarded as their rightful successors. In particular the term is applied to humans who carry the requisite [[Lifeworker]]-created ''[[Geas|gei]]'' that allow them to activate Forerunner technology;<ref name="definition"/> indeed, a great deal of the Forerunners' abandoned technology may be activated only when used by a Reclaimer. For most of their history, however, the Forerunners considered themselves the rightful inheritors of the Mantle from the Precursors, who had originally intended to pass the Mantle down to humanity.<ref name="definition" group="note">[[Bungie]] originally intended that the Forerunners were prehistoric humans. In this regard the title of "Reclaimer" would indicate modern humans salvaging the relics of their ancestors, thus giving the term a literal meaning. This is corroborated by dialog in ''Halo 3'': 343 Guilty Spark insists that John-117 is the "child of [his] makers" and that he ''is'' Forerunner, while the Gravemind refers to the Master Chief as "child of my enemy". ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' further evidences this with Mendicant Bias' claim that the Reclaimers are its makers.{{Clear}}With ''[[The Forerunner Saga]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s retooling of the "prehistoric spacefaring humans" concept (casting them as contemporaries of the Forerunners), the definition of the title was revised. It thus no longer refers to humanity's recovery of Forerunner technology, which was never theirs and could not, by definition, be ''reclaimed''. Instead it denotes humanity's reclamation of the Mantle from the Forerunners, who had wrongly asserted their claim to it for eons.</ref>
"'''Reclaimer'''" is a [[Forerunner]] term used to refer to a species (or a member of said species) chosen to be the inheritors of the [[Mantle]], the stewardship over all life originally held by the [[Precursor]]s. Following the activation of the [[Halo Array]] and the ensuing [[Reintroduction]], this refers to [[human]]s, whom the Forerunners (more pointedly those allied with the [[Librarian]]) regarded as their rightful successors. In particular the term is applied to humans who carry the requisite [[Lifeworker]]-created ''[[Geas|gei]]'' that allow them to activate Forerunner technology;<ref name="definition"/> indeed, a great deal of the Forerunners' abandoned technology may be activated only when used by a Reclaimer. For most of their history, however, the Forerunners considered themselves the rightful inheritors of the Mantle from the Precursors, who had originally intended to pass the Mantle down to humanity.<ref name="definition" group="note">[[Bungie]] originally intended that the Forerunners were prehistoric humans. In this regard the title of "Reclaimer" would indicate modern humans salvaging the relics of their ancestors, thus giving the term a literal meaning. This is corroborated by dialog in ''Halo 3'': 343 Guilty Spark insists that John-117 is the "child of [his] makers" and that he ''is'' Forerunner, while the Gravemind refers to the Master Chief as "child of my enemy". ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' further evidences this with Mendicant Bias' claim that the Reclaimers are its makers.{{Clear}}With ''[[The Forerunner Saga]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s retooling of the "prehistoric spacefaring humans" concept (casting them as contemporaries of the Forerunners), the definition of the title was revised. It thus no longer refers to humanity's recovery of Forerunner technology, which was never theirs and could not, by definition, be ''reclaimed''. Instead it denotes humanity's reclamation of the Mantle from the Forerunners, who had wrongly asserted their claim to it for eons.</ref>
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Generally speaking, the term "Reclaimer" refers to humans (as a species or as individuals) retaking stewardship of the Mantle. However, technically the term denotes humans who are capable of activating Forerunner technology.<ref name="Hammer"/> This is due to the presence of ''[[Geas|gei]]'' implanted by the Librarian,<ref name="definition"/> which give at least some humans an instinctive familiarity (often a feeling of déjà vu) when encountering Forerunner technology. For example, [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan]] [[John-117]] simply "knew" how to activate a [[Holography|holographic]] control panel on [[Halo Array|Halo]] [[Installation 04]], despite it being the first piece of Forerunner technology he had ever encountered.<ref>'''Halo: The Flood''', ''page 84''</ref> This innate knowledge extends to Covenant technology as well, as Covenant technology is crudely reverse-engineered from Forerunner designs.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 142''</ref> In the same vein, Forerunner technology responds to human presence much as it would have done in the presence of its creators, though it will not do so for other species. Though it is unclear how commonly the ''gei'' may be found among humans, it is known that at least some are incapable of properly interfacing with Forerunner technology.<ref name="Hammer">''Spartan Ops'' - [[Key/The Hammer|Episode 9, Chapter 5]]: ''“Elites were here, trying to find Reclaimers: humans who can operate Forerunner technology."''</ref>
Generally speaking, the term "Reclaimer" refers to humans (as a species or as individuals) retaking stewardship of the Mantle. However, technically the term denotes humans who are capable of activating Forerunner technology.<ref name="Hammer"/> This is due to the presence of ''[[Geas|gei]]'' implanted by the Librarian,<ref name="definition"/> which give at least some humans an instinctive familiarity (often a feeling of déjà vu) when encountering Forerunner technology. For example, [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan]] [[John-117]] simply "knew" how to activate a [[Holography|holographic]] control panel on [[Halo Array|Halo]] [[Installation 04]], despite it being the first piece of Forerunner technology he had ever encountered.<ref>'''Halo: The Flood''', ''page 84''</ref> This innate knowledge extends to Covenant technology as well, as Covenant technology is crudely reverse-engineered from Forerunner designs.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 142''</ref> In the same vein, Forerunner technology responds to human presence much as it would have done in the presence of its creators, though it will not do so for other species. Though it is unclear how commonly the ''gei'' may be found among humans, it is known that at least some are incapable of properly interfacing with Forerunner technology.<ref name="Hammer">''Spartan Ops'' - [[Key/The Hammer|Episode 9, Chapter 5]]: ''“Elites were here, trying to find Reclaimers: humans who can operate Forerunner technology."''</ref>


Along with implanting the ''gei'' necessary to utilize Forerunner relics, the Librarian planted "seeds" that led to some of humanity's most important technological achievements. Specifically, this genesong led to the creation of the [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-II supersoldiers]] and their [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor]], as well as the AI [[Cortana]].<ref name="H4%2520Reclaimer">'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Reclaimer (level)|Reclaimer]]''</ref> These developments enabled humanity - primarily through the efforts of John-117 and Cortana - to defeat the [[Ur-Didact]] during his renewed campaign to [[Composer|compose]] humanity into [[Promethean Knight]]s.<ref name="Midnight">'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Midnight]]''</ref> Despite this tragedy, the Librarian originally hoped that the Didact would emerge from [[Cryptum|stasis]] after millennia of meditation to guide humanity; he was to give them the [[Janus Key]], thereby providing the location of all Forerunner technology in the galaxy and securing the Reclaimers' ascendancy.<ref>'''Spartan Ops''', ''[[Key]]''</ref>
Along with implanting the ''gei'' necessary to utilize Forerunner relics, the Librarian planted "seeds" that led to some of humanity's most important technological achievements. Specifically, this genesong led to the creation of the [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-II supersoldiers]] and their [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor]], as well as the AI [[Cortana]].<ref name="H4 Reclaimer">'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Reclaimer (level)|Reclaimer]]''</ref> These developments enabled humanity - primarily through the efforts of John-117 and Cortana - to defeat the [[Ur-Didact]] during his renewed campaign to [[Composer|compose]] humanity into [[Promethean Knight]]s.<ref name="Midnight">'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Midnight]]''</ref> Despite this tragedy, the Librarian originally hoped that the Didact would emerge from [[Cryptum|stasis]] after millennia of meditation to guide humanity; he was to give them the [[Janus Key]], thereby providing the location of all Forerunner technology in the galaxy and securing the Reclaimers' ascendancy.<ref>'''Spartan Ops''', ''[[Key]]''</ref>


The status of Reclaimer was conferred upon humanity as an emergency directive on the authority of the remains of the [[New Council]] (namely the Librarian and the [[IsoDidact]]) during the events surrounding the firing of the [[Halo Array]]. This overrode the [[Builder]]-controlled Old Council's previous ruling from ten thousand years earlier which involved humanity's biological and technological [[Erde-Tyrene civilization|regression]] as punishment for their part in the [[human-Forerunner wars]]. However, following the enactment of this punitive measure, the Librarian had been secretly modifying humanity's ''gei'' for thousands of years to prepare them to take on the role of Reclaimers — against the direct orders of the Council.<ref name="definition">[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2969311_Catalog-Interaction.aspx#post2969311 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Catalog Interaction'' (post 2969311)]</ref>
The status of Reclaimer was conferred upon humanity as an emergency directive on the authority of the remains of the [[New Council]] (namely the Librarian and the [[IsoDidact]]) during the events surrounding the firing of the [[Halo Array]]. This overrode the [[Builder]]-controlled Old Council's previous ruling from ten thousand years earlier which involved humanity's biological and technological [[Erde-Tyrene civilization|regression]] as punishment for their part in the [[human-Forerunner wars]]. However, following the enactment of this punitive measure, the Librarian had been secretly modifying humanity's ''gei'' for thousands of years to prepare them to take on the role of Reclaimers — against the direct orders of the Council.<ref name="definition">[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2969311_Catalog-Interaction.aspx#post2969311 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Catalog Interaction'' (post 2969311)]</ref>


Strangely, [[343 Guilty Spark]], the monitor of Halo Installation 04, once insisted to John-117, ''"You ''are'' Forerunner."''<ref name="H3%2520Halo"/> This is presumably metaphorical, as [[Mendicant Bias]] likewise claimed the Reclaimers as its makers,<ref name="Oracle">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''pages 274-278''</ref> despite humanity being genetically and culturally distinct from the Forerunners. Alternately, this may be due to the onset of rampancy; Guilty Spark had previously treated the Master Chief as if the latter were the [[IsoDidact]], responding to a question the IsoDidact had asked 100,000 years prior.<ref>'''Halo: Combat Evolved''', campaign level ''[[343 Guilty Spark (level)|343 Guilty Spark]]''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 314''</ref>
Strangely, [[343 Guilty Spark]], the monitor of Halo Installation 04, once insisted to John-117, ''"You ''are'' Forerunner."''<ref name="H3 Halo"/> This is presumably metaphorical, as [[Mendicant Bias]] likewise claimed the Reclaimers as its makers,<ref name="Oracle">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''pages 274-278''</ref> despite humanity being genetically and culturally distinct from the Forerunners. Alternately, this may be due to the onset of rampancy; Guilty Spark had previously treated the Master Chief as if the latter were the [[IsoDidact]], responding to a question the IsoDidact had asked 100,000 years prior.<ref>'''Halo: Combat Evolved''', campaign level ''[[343 Guilty Spark (level)|343 Guilty Spark]]''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 314''</ref>


===Failures to recognize Reclaimer status===
===Failures to recognize Reclaimer status===
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*[[Corporal]] [[Taylor Miles]] and [[Lance Corporal]] [[Kojo Agu]] - The Forerunner construct called [[the Knowing]] identified them as Reclaimers and obeyed their order to [[self-destruct]] itself.<ref>'''[[Halo: Helljumper]]''', ''[[Halo: Helljumper Issue 5|Issue #5]]''</ref>
*[[Corporal]] [[Taylor Miles]] and [[Lance Corporal]] [[Kojo Agu]] - The Forerunner construct called [[the Knowing]] identified them as Reclaimers and obeyed their order to [[self-destruct]] itself.<ref>'''[[Halo: Helljumper]]''', ''[[Halo: Helljumper Issue 5|Issue #5]]''</ref>
*[[Marvin Mobuto]] - Recruited by 343 Guilty Spark to fire Alpha Halo during the Flood outbreak. Killed in the installation's [[Library]] while attempting to retrieve the [[Activation Index]].<ref>''Halo: The Flood''</ref>
*[[Marvin Mobuto]] - Recruited by 343 Guilty Spark to fire Alpha Halo during the Flood outbreak. Killed in the installation's [[Library]] while attempting to retrieve the [[Activation Index]].<ref>''Halo: The Flood''</ref>
*[[Master Chief Petty Officer]] [[John-117]] - Arguably the most significant Reclaimer, John-117 is the realization of a ''geas'' seeded by the Librarian which apparently manifested in the [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-IIs]]' creator, [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]].<ref name="H4%2520Reclaimer"/> He is responsible for the destruction of Halo [[Installation 04]]<ref>'''Halo: Combat Evolved''', campaign level ''[[The Maw]]''</ref> and its replacement, as well as the latter's activation and the ensuing defeat of an active [[Gravemind]]; the near-destruction of [[Installation 00]];<ref name="H3%2520Halo">'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo]]''</ref> and the apparent death of the [[Ur-Didact]].<ref name="Midnight"/>
*[[Master Chief Petty Officer]] [[John-117]] - Arguably the most significant Reclaimer, John-117 is the realization of a ''geas'' seeded by the Librarian which apparently manifested in the [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-IIs]]' creator, [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]].<ref name="H4 Reclaimer"/> He is responsible for the destruction of Halo [[Installation 04]]<ref>'''Halo: Combat Evolved''', campaign level ''[[The Maw]]''</ref> and its replacement, as well as the latter's activation and the ensuing defeat of an active [[Gravemind]]; the near-destruction of [[Installation 00]];<ref name="H3 Halo">'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo]]''</ref> and the apparent death of the [[Ur-Didact]].<ref name="Midnight"/>
*[[Commander (UNSC)|Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes]] - In [[2552#November|November 2552]], the [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae|Jiralhanae Chieftain]] [[Tartarus]] forced Commander Keyes to fire [[Installation 05|Delta Halo]] and thereby the rest of the Array, though he was soon killed and the firing process was aborted.
*[[Commander (UNSC)|Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes]] - In [[2552#November|November 2552]], the [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae|Jiralhanae Chieftain]] [[Tartarus]] forced Commander Keyes to fire [[Installation 05|Delta Halo]] and thereby the rest of the Array, though he was soon killed and the firing process was aborted.
*[[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery Johnson]] - Similarly to Keyes, Johnson was nearly forced by the [[Prophet of Truth]] to activate the entire Halo Array from the lesser Ark's control room, though he was rescued before this could occur.<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Covenant]]''</ref> He was killed shortly thereafter while attempting to activate the incomplete [[Installation 04B]], though John-117 successfully completed this mission.<ref name="H3%2520Halo"/>
*[[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery Johnson]] - Similarly to Keyes, Johnson was nearly forced by the [[Prophet of Truth]] to activate the entire Halo Array from the lesser Ark's control room, though he was rescued before this could occur.<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Covenant]]''</ref> He was killed shortly thereafter while attempting to activate the incomplete [[Installation 04B]], though John-117 successfully completed this mission.<ref name="H3 Halo"/>
*[[Fireteam Crimson]] - During the Second Battle of Requiem, the four members of Fireteam Crimson interacted with several Forerunner artifacts.
*[[Fireteam Crimson]] - During the Second Battle of Requiem, the four members of Fireteam Crimson interacted with several Forerunner artifacts.
*[[Henry Glassman|Dr. Henry Glassman]] - After being [[Slipspace translocation|translocated]] to Requiem and held hostage by the Covenant, he accidentally activated a protective shield at the [[Librarian's Rest]]. After being rescued, he deactivated one of the three [[Requiem slipspace artifacts|artifacts]] which held {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} anchored to the planet.<ref>'''Spartan Ops''', ''[[Memento Mori]]''</ref>
*[[Henry Glassman|Dr. Henry Glassman]] - After being [[Slipspace translocation|translocated]] to Requiem and held hostage by the Covenant, he accidentally activated a protective shield at the [[Librarian's Rest]]. After being rescued, he deactivated one of the three [[Requiem slipspace artifacts|artifacts]] which held {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} anchored to the planet.<ref>'''Spartan Ops''', ''[[Memento Mori]]''</ref>
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==As understood by the Covenant==
==As understood by the Covenant==
The Reclaimer glyph was one of the holiest icons in the [[Covenant religion]], as well as the source of one of its greatest flaws. For millennia, the Covenant's leadership misinterpreted the "Reclaimer" glyph (which they read upside down) as "Reclamation". The [[San 'Shyuum|Prophets]] misconstrued this as the Covenant's divine mandate to procure "holy" Forerunner technology from areas of space known as [[reliquary|reliquaries]]; the [[Ages of Reclamation]] were designated as periods of significant Forerunner discoveries. While incorrectly understood by the Covenant as their quest for Forerunner relics, the Reclamation is an actual concept pertaining to the Reclaimers' process of reattaining the Mantle.<ref>'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Epilogue (Halo 4 level)|Epilogue]]'' (''"The Reclamation... has already begun. And we are hopeless to stop it."'')</ref> Like the Forerunners, the Covenant (if only the Prophets) considered themselves the inheritors of the Mantle.<ref name="Covie%2520Mantle"/> However, because the Covenant's member species are not recognized as Reclaimers (being referred to as "intruders" and "meddlers" by [[343 Guilty Spark]]), they require human captives to activate certain Forerunner technology, most notably the Halo rings, the [[Installation 00|Ark]], and [[shield world]]s. One notable exception is [[Jul 'Mdama]], who gained the allegiance of the Promethean Knights on the shield world [[Requiem]] following the Didact's apparent demise; he was able able to set Requiem on a collision course with [[Epoloch|its star]], though it seems he was given the Didact's override to accomplish this.<ref name="Exodus">'''Spartan Ops''', ''[[Exodus (Spartan Ops)|Exodus]]'' - This is evidenced by the appearance of the Ur-Didact's sigil when 'Mdama gives inputs the self-destruct order.</ref>
The Reclaimer glyph was one of the holiest icons in the [[Covenant religion]], as well as the source of one of its greatest flaws. For millennia, the Covenant's leadership misinterpreted the "Reclaimer" glyph (which they read upside down) as "Reclamation". The [[San 'Shyuum|Prophets]] misconstrued this as the Covenant's divine mandate to procure "holy" Forerunner technology from areas of space known as [[reliquary|reliquaries]]; the [[Ages of Reclamation]] were designated as periods of significant Forerunner discoveries. While incorrectly understood by the Covenant as their quest for Forerunner relics, the Reclamation is an actual concept pertaining to the Reclaimers' process of reattaining the Mantle.<ref>'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Epilogue (Halo 4 level)|Epilogue]]'' (''"The Reclamation... has already begun. And we are hopeless to stop it."'')</ref> Like the Forerunners, the Covenant (if only the Prophets) considered themselves the inheritors of the Mantle.<ref name="Covie Mantle"/> However, because the Covenant's member species are not recognized as Reclaimers (being referred to as "intruders" and "meddlers" by [[343 Guilty Spark]]), they require human captives to activate certain Forerunner technology, most notably the Halo rings, the [[Installation 00|Ark]], and [[shield world]]s. One notable exception is [[Jul 'Mdama]], who gained the allegiance of the Promethean Knights on the shield world [[Requiem]] following the Didact's apparent demise; he was able able to set Requiem on a collision course with [[Epoloch|its star]], though it seems he was given the Didact's override to accomplish this.<ref name="Exodus">'''Spartan Ops''', ''[[Exodus (Spartan Ops)|Exodus]]'' - This is evidenced by the appearance of the Ur-Didact's sigil when 'Mdama gives inputs the self-destruct order.</ref>


====History====
====History====

Revision as of 14:02, October 3, 2014

This article is about the Forerunner term. For articles of the same name, see Reclaimer (disambiguation).
The Forerunner glyph for "Reclaimer".

"The Oracle calls them "Reclaimers". But what do they reclaim? These machines? These cities? These worlds? Or, as I fear, are they to reclaim the Mantle we so terribly squandered?"
— Minister of Discovery[1]

"Reclaimer" is a Forerunner term used to refer to a species (or a member of said species) chosen to be the inheritors of the Mantle, the stewardship over all life originally held by the Precursors. Following the activation of the Halo Array and the ensuing Reintroduction, this refers to humans, whom the Forerunners (more pointedly those allied with the Librarian) regarded as their rightful successors. In particular the term is applied to humans who carry the requisite Lifeworker-created gei that allow them to activate Forerunner technology;[2] indeed, a great deal of the Forerunners' abandoned technology may be activated only when used by a Reclaimer. For most of their history, however, the Forerunners considered themselves the rightful inheritors of the Mantle from the Precursors, who had originally intended to pass the Mantle down to humanity.[note 1]

Overview

Generally speaking, the term "Reclaimer" refers to humans (as a species or as individuals) retaking stewardship of the Mantle. However, technically the term denotes humans who are capable of activating Forerunner technology.[3] This is due to the presence of gei implanted by the Librarian,[2] which give at least some humans an instinctive familiarity (often a feeling of déjà vu) when encountering Forerunner technology. For example, Spartan John-117 simply "knew" how to activate a holographic control panel on Halo Installation 04, despite it being the first piece of Forerunner technology he had ever encountered.[4] This innate knowledge extends to Covenant technology as well, as Covenant technology is crudely reverse-engineered from Forerunner designs.[5] In the same vein, Forerunner technology responds to human presence much as it would have done in the presence of its creators, though it will not do so for other species. Though it is unclear how commonly the gei may be found among humans, it is known that at least some are incapable of properly interfacing with Forerunner technology.[3]

Along with implanting the gei necessary to utilize Forerunner relics, the Librarian planted "seeds" that led to some of humanity's most important technological achievements. Specifically, this genesong led to the creation of the SPARTAN-II supersoldiers and their MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor, as well as the AI Cortana.[6] These developments enabled humanity - primarily through the efforts of John-117 and Cortana - to defeat the Ur-Didact during his renewed campaign to compose humanity into Promethean Knights.[7] Despite this tragedy, the Librarian originally hoped that the Didact would emerge from stasis after millennia of meditation to guide humanity; he was to give them the Janus Key, thereby providing the location of all Forerunner technology in the galaxy and securing the Reclaimers' ascendancy.[8]

The status of Reclaimer was conferred upon humanity as an emergency directive on the authority of the remains of the New Council (namely the Librarian and the IsoDidact) during the events surrounding the firing of the Halo Array. This overrode the Builder-controlled Old Council's previous ruling from ten thousand years earlier which involved humanity's biological and technological regression as punishment for their part in the human-Forerunner wars. However, following the enactment of this punitive measure, the Librarian had been secretly modifying humanity's gei for thousands of years to prepare them to take on the role of Reclaimers — against the direct orders of the Council.[2]

Strangely, 343 Guilty Spark, the monitor of Halo Installation 04, once insisted to John-117, "You are Forerunner."[9] This is presumably metaphorical, as Mendicant Bias likewise claimed the Reclaimers as its makers,[10] despite humanity being genetically and culturally distinct from the Forerunners. Alternately, this may be due to the onset of rampancy; Guilty Spark had previously treated the Master Chief as if the latter were the IsoDidact, responding to a question the IsoDidact had asked 100,000 years prior.[11][12]

Failures to recognize Reclaimer status

As the Template:UNSCship was pulled inside Shield World 0459 on February 23, 2531, the ship and her crew were scanned by the installation's decontamination network. In addition to detecting a high-order Flood infestation, the ancilla in charge of the network's cleansing rings failed to recognize the crew as Reclaimers. As the Spirit's crew and complement were regarded as an "unknown alien intrusion", they were forced to engage a bevy of Sentinels in addition to fighting the Flood on the surface of the ship.[13]

During the Battle of Onyx in October - November 2552, the SPARTAN-III Ash-G099 failed to provide the appropriate counter-response to a Sentinel that was attempting to determine whether he was a Flood vector. This, combined with the Spartans of Gamma Company being inundated with illegal performance-enhancing drugs, caused the Sentinel to catalog Ash as a "non-Reclaimer", as well as a member of a "aboriginal subspecies" of humanity.[14]

During the Second Battle of Requiem, Jul 'Mdama's forces captured Hawk Squad and forced them to activate a Forerunner map of Requiem, but the structure failed to recognize them as Reclaimers.[15]

Humans identified as Reclaimers

Given that all known bestowals of the "Reclaimer" title have occurred during military engagements, all individuals identified as such have been either military personnel or civilian advisers.

As understood by the Covenant

The Reclaimer glyph was one of the holiest icons in the Covenant religion, as well as the source of one of its greatest flaws. For millennia, the Covenant's leadership misinterpreted the "Reclaimer" glyph (which they read upside down) as "Reclamation". The Prophets misconstrued this as the Covenant's divine mandate to procure "holy" Forerunner technology from areas of space known as reliquaries; the Ages of Reclamation were designated as periods of significant Forerunner discoveries. While incorrectly understood by the Covenant as their quest for Forerunner relics, the Reclamation is an actual concept pertaining to the Reclaimers' process of reattaining the Mantle.[24] Like the Forerunners, the Covenant (if only the Prophets) considered themselves the inheritors of the Mantle.[1] However, because the Covenant's member species are not recognized as Reclaimers (being referred to as "intruders" and "meddlers" by 343 Guilty Spark), they require human captives to activate certain Forerunner technology, most notably the Halo rings, the Ark, and shield worlds. One notable exception is Jul 'Mdama, who gained the allegiance of the Promethean Knights on the shield world Requiem following the Didact's apparent demise; he was able able to set Requiem on a collision course with its star, though it seems he was given the Didact's override to accomplish this.[23]

History

For many Ages, the Covenant used luminaries (crude AIs based on Forerunner ancillas) to pinpoint concentrations of Forerunner artifacts. At the turn of 2524 - 2525, the luminary aboard the vessel Minor Transgression led the ship's crew to the human colony world of Harvest. Ultimately, communications between the planet's government and the Covenant broke down, leading to the first major conflict between the two civilizations and the planet's eventual glassing. A trio of mid-level San 'Shyuum ministers consulted the "Oracle" aboard the Forerunner Dreadnought on High Charity about the "Reclamation" glyphs encountered in such large numbers on Harvest; these San 'Shyuum hoped to use the clout gained from this discovery to oust the current triumvirate of Hierarchs. The Oracle, which was actually the AI Mendicant Bias, informed the party that the luminations found on Harvest were actually the world's human population, and that the symbol the Covenant had long held to mean "Reclamation" actually meant "Reclaimer"; following this revelation, Mendicant Bias attempted to leave High Charity and make contact with its so-called "makers", though the ship was disabled and the AI quarantined before this could happen.[10]

The schemers interpreted the Oracle's words to mean that humans were actually the living remnants of Forerunner civilization; this would directly contradict the Covenant's dogma regarding the Great Journey, which held that the Forerunners used an artifact known as Halo to transcend to godhood. Accordingly, the newly ordained Prophet of Truth declared a war of extermination upon humanity, secretly hoping that genocide would prevent humanity's relation to the Forerunners from coming to light.[10] In the wake of commencing the Ninth Age of Reclamation, Truth also revealed that the Reclaimer glyph could help the Covenant scour the galaxy for any other human colonies.[25]

Trivia

File:Marathon.png
The Reclaimer symbol as seen in Bungie's games.
  • The original Reclaimer glyph is actually the logo of Bungie's Marathon trilogy. Due to the Marathon franchise remaining Bungie's intellectual property, the Reclaimer symbol in media by 343 Industries has the same basic design, though it is much more abstract. Curiously, the original symbol appears on holographic terminals in the Spartan Ops chapter The Hammer.
  • The Bestiarum associates the Latin "Homo sapiens augeous" with its "Reclaimer" entry. This is probably intended to mean "augmented intelligent man", though augeous is conjugated incorrectly; the proper conjugation is aucto. Given the context of the entry in the Bestiarum, it seems that this entry refers specifically to John-117 as opposed to all Reclaimers, and that "Homo sapiens augeous" refers only to Spartans. However, due to Halo 4's retcon that not only certain humans are technically Reclaimers, this binomial nomenclature may refer to humans carrying the "genesong" planted by the Librarian.
  • "Reclaimer" is one of the second-highest rank in Halo: Reach.

Notes

  1. ^ Bungie originally intended that the Forerunners were prehistoric humans. In this regard the title of "Reclaimer" would indicate modern humans salvaging the relics of their ancestors, thus giving the term a literal meaning. This is corroborated by dialog in Halo 3: 343 Guilty Spark insists that John-117 is the "child of [his] makers" and that he is Forerunner, while the Gravemind refers to the Master Chief as "child of my enemy". Halo: Contact Harvest further evidences this with Mendicant Bias' claim that the Reclaimers are its makers.
    With The Forerunner Saga's retooling of the "prehistoric spacefaring humans" concept (casting them as contemporaries of the Forerunners), the definition of the title was revised. It thus no longer refers to humanity's recovery of Forerunner technology, which was never theirs and could not, by definition, be reclaimed. Instead it denotes humanity's reclamation of the Mantle from the Forerunners, who had wrongly asserted their claim to it for eons.

List of appearances

Sources

  1. ^ a b Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe volume II, page 299
  2. ^ a b c Halo Waypoint: Catalog Interaction (post 2969311)
  3. ^ a b Spartan Ops - Episode 9, Chapter 5: “Elites were here, trying to find Reclaimers: humans who can operate Forerunner technology."
  4. ^ Halo: The Flood, page 84
  5. ^ Halo: First Strike, page 142
  6. ^ a b Halo 4, campaign level Reclaimer
  7. ^ a b Halo 4, campaign level Midnight
  8. ^ Spartan Ops, Key
  9. ^ a b c Halo 3, campaign level Halo
  10. ^ a b c Halo: Contact Harvest, pages 274-278
  11. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level 343 Guilty Spark
  12. ^ Halo: Silentium, page 314
  13. ^ Halo Wars, campaign level Repairs
  14. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 133
  15. ^ Spartan Ops Episode 9, Chapter 5: "The Hammer"
  16. ^ Halo Wars, campaign level Beachhead
  17. ^ Halo: Helljumper, Issue #5
  18. ^ Halo: The Flood
  19. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level The Maw
  20. ^ Halo 3, campaign level The Covenant
  21. ^ Spartan Ops, Memento Mori
  22. ^ Spartan Ops, Expendable
  23. ^ a b Spartan Ops, Exodus - This is evidenced by the appearance of the Ur-Didact's sigil when 'Mdama gives inputs the self-destruct order.
  24. ^ Halo 4, campaign level Epilogue ("The Reclamation... has already begun. And we are hopeless to stop it.")
  25. ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, pages 381-382
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